PONTIAC, Mich. – A drug kingpin who sold narcotics from several locations throughout Oakland County, including at a school, was sentenced after 12 other people linked to his operation pleaded guilty.
Ray Guerrero, 50, of Waterford Township, was the leader of a 13-person conspiracy to distribute cocaine, opioids, and other drugs, according to authorities.
Drug dealing operation
Officials said Guerrero supplied drugs to family members, friends, and others so they could sell them from 2009 through April 2017.
Guerrero owned a house on Virginia Street in Pontiac, and he used it to distribute the drugs to his other dealers, police said.
Guerrero also provided drugs at other homes and properties throughout the county, according to prosecutors.
The operation included adults and children selling drugs.
Drugs were even sold at and near an Oakland County school, officials said.
Sentencing after trial
Guerrero was the only person linked to the conspiracy who proceeded to trial. All 12 others pleaded guilty.
During the October 2022 trial, a jury found Guerrero guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and felon in possession of firearms.
He was sentenced Wednesday, June 14, 2023, to 24 years and four month in prison.
“Drug dealers who use minors to help them distribute poison in our communities should know that we are committed to stopping them and ensuring that they face serious consequences,” United States Attorney Dawn Ison said.
“Everyone deserves to live in a safe environment, free from illicit narcotics and the violence that goes hand-in-hand with these criminal activities,” said James Tarasca, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit field office.